Authorities investigate bank robbery in Oriental

ORIENTAL — Law enforcement officers are investigating the Monday afternoon robbery of the First Citizens Bank branch in Oriental and are working to determine whether it is related to a similar event earlier in the day in Beaufort County.

ORIENTAL — Law enforcement officers are investigating the Monday afternoon robbery of the First Citizens Bank branch in Oriental and are working to determine whether it is related to a similar event earlier in the day in Beaufort County.

According to Pamlico County Sheriff Billy Sawyer, the Oriental robbery occurred at 4:20 p.m. when two black males dressed in black and armed with semi-automatic pistols walked into the bank and demanded money.

Both robbers left the scene on foot. It is not known how much money was taken.

A man who answered the phone at the bank late Monday declined to comment.

Witnesses reported seeing a four-door late model silver car following behind the two robbers as they escaped on foot. It was missing hubcaps and had out-of-state plates. The vehicle was last seen headed toward Arapahoe.

Earlier on Monday, a suspicious man was reported at a bank in Aurora in neighboring Beaufort County.

According to Aurora Police Chief Michael Harmon, at 1:46 p.m. police and Beaufort County deputies responded to the call at the Southern Bank and Trust branch at 298 N. 5th St.

A black male, approximately 6 feet tall and weighing 175 pounds, triggered a metal detector at the bank and left. The man was wearing black pants with a black hooded sweatshirt, which was pulled over his head, making his facial features difficult to see on the surveillance video, Harmon said.

A witness saw the man leave in a late-model, four-door silver car driven by a black male. No money was taken and no one was hurt.

“There was potential there, but the security measures in place thwarted that,” Harmon said. “The Aurora Police and Beaufort Country deputies and investigators had a very fast response time.”

Investigators in Pamlico and Beaufort counties, together with Aurora police, are working together to locate the three suspects and the silver car. The Pamlico County Sheriff’s Office is currently offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the suspects.